Hotel Review: InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit

Opened in December 2023, the new InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit is located along the main Sukhumvit stretch, at the intersection with Soi 59. It is the second InterContinental property in Bangkok, with the older InterContinental Bangkok in the Ploen Chit area being the other. 

InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit is around 5 minutes walk to Thong Lo BTS Station. It counts the Marriott Bangkok Sukhumvit and Ascott Thonglor as some of its most immediate neighbors. 

The property has 241 rooms from 34 to 68 square meters, ranging from the entry-level classic room to suites. During a recent trip to Bangkok, I stayed in a Premium Room.

Premium Room

Size-wise, the Premium Room is one notch higher than the classic room in terms of space, with a 42 square meter space ( classic rooms start at 34 square meters). Most of the rooms at the InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit possess a similar layout and fittings, with the key difference in size. 

The property touts its understated and modern take on Thai accents and “understated” is exactly the right word for it. Compared to other properties (for example, The Sukhothai Bangkok) that really screams Thai tradition, it is less evident here.

For instance, the feature wall comes with Thai elements but it integrates well with modern sensibilities so unless one has a keen eye or is highly familiar with Thai design, the Thai-ness is not easily noticed. 

As a new property, the room operates by motion sensor so there’s no need to insert a key card somewhere for the lights to turn on. 

As with newer hotels, you won’t find a conventional work desk here. Instead, a round table with 2 dining chairs by the window complete the set up to allow the flexibility of using the corner for either work or dining. For those looking to work, a number of power outlets are conveniently located just next to the table. 

There are plenty of seating options as well, including an ottoman in front of the bed and a couch parallel to the window. The ottoman is notable for having a long throw pillow that can act as a backrest – something you won’t usually find elsewhere. 

By the minibar, there’s a Nespresso machine with 3 coffee capsules that are replenished daily as well as free bottled water. Tea comes from TWG. 

One notable feature of the guestrooms at InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit is the bathroom which can be converted into open concept if guests so wish. The bathroom wall panel that’s parallel to the bed has a sliding feature to allow the tub to integrate almost seamlessly with the rest of the room. This also enhances the sense of space in the room.

As with other InterContinental properties, toiletries are from Byredo. Other than the standalone tub, there’s a separate shower room as well as enclosure for the toilet. Due to the sheer size of the bathroom, the individual enclosures are also quite spacious by themselves. I loved the thick and extremely fluffy towels used by the hotel. These felt good to the touch after a nice shower. 

Club InterContinental

The InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit has a club lounge (called Club InterContinental in InterContinental hotels) where guests can receive a number of additional benefits. Aside from the likes of free pressing of clothes, the lounge also comes with 3 meal services per day, including breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails.

The lounge itself is relatively spacious for a 241-room property and spans an elongated space with a cozy meeting area at the end. 

I dropped by at least once during each of the meal services to see what the offerings are like.

The afternoon tea spread is quite good and the sweet and savory treats are served on a 3-tier stand. At the time of my stay, these consisted of chocolate tartlets, mini ham and cheese sandwich, scones and green tea cakes. 

Evening cocktails are likewise served on the same 3-tier stand and consisted mostly of light bites such as spring rolls, ceviche and California rolls. The staff proactively offered to serve me a drink as well but I had to decline as I was heading to another appointment that evening. 

While the breakfast offerings in a club lounge are usually not as wide as the all-day dining restaurant, there is often a case to be made when it comes to having the club breakfast in InterContinental properties due to the presence of dishes cooked ala minute. I was curious to see what the club lounge at the InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit offered.

The club breakfast offered some nice extras such as Avocado Toast, Kway Teow Noodle Soup and a few other items which makes having breakfast at the lounge a rather good idea (aside from the nicer views up here).

Breakfast at Ava

For those who are not club guests, the breakfast is served at Ava which is the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant. Club guests also have the option of having their breakfast at Ava where there is greater variety. 

As is the case in Thai hotels in general, the breakfast can be as light or as heavy as one wants it to be. The usual suspects such as croissants and toast sit next to a group of hot dishes that include stir-fried chicken, ham, vegetables and even curry. 

I was pleased to find a selection of fruits that extended beyond the usual ones you’ll find in a hotel breakfast. For instance, the spread also came with passionfruit while eggs can be ordered in any way one wishes, including poached. 

Facilities

The InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit is an entirely vertical setup, and manages to be a full-serviced hotel while being so. The covered pool is especially photogenic, and offers views of the outskirts of Bangkok to the east. It is an ideal spot to catch the sunrise. 

Beside the pool is the The Spa by Harnn. Owing to the neighborhood the hotel is in, there is a deliberate effort to insert some Japanese sensibilities to the experience. This can be seen for instance, in some of the treatments in the spa menu as well as the rather elaborate pre and post treatment tea sets provided.

The Origami massage for instance, employs a combination of massage techniques including Japanese Shiatsu as well as Thai soothing massage. I have been to quite a few spas in Thailand and this is the first one that offered me drinks during 2 instances – a pre-treatment drink and a post-treatment one. 

On the same floor is the hotel’s gym which is of modest size but has a rather good range of equipment. 

Verdict

Tip: Don’t miss out on the cafe by the entrance which is simply called The Lobby. They have a revolving variety of fine teas while the coffee comes from Sarnies. At the time of my stay, they had some specially sourced green tea which made for an enticing matcha latte!

Bangkok has plenty of IHG properties and as the most recent one to open, one can expect the latest in terms of the group’s vision for hospitality at InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit. Here, one finds a tighter and more efficient setup. In total, there’s just 1 full-fledge restaurant, 1 bar and 1 lobby cafe which suits the busy business traveler or leisure visitors just fine. The location in Thonglor enables one the flexibility to escape Bangkok’s traffic jams with easy access to the BTS. One can easily spend a good part of the day out and return to the comforts of the well-appointed rooms for a good recharge. 

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